One award fro Afghanistan from YAGAMATA International Film Festival

Award of excellence in new asian currents awards section for the MOHTARAMA and  Raging Land 3: Three Valleys form HongKong.

A documentary film from Afghanistan has been selected in YAGAMATA International Documentary Film Festival.

MOHTARAMA is a joined project documentary by Malek Shafi’i and Diana Saqeb, tow Afghanistani documentary filmmakers based in Kabul.

19 short and feature documentaries was selected to competing for the "New Asian Currents" Yamagata Documentary Film Festival.

In 2009, the Afghan Parliament approved the Shia Family Law, which was then signed by President Karzai. The law severely restricted women’s freedom, making it illegal for them to exit the house without their husband’s consent or resisting to their husband’s sexual demands.

The Afghan women who were against this law, gathered and protested in front of Afghanistan’s biggest religious school where the law was written with support from Sheikh Asif Mohsini (an Islamic scholar and the founder of the school). The protests turned violent as the students of the school began humiliating the women protestors by beating, spitting, and labeling them as “Western followers”.

This was one of the first major movements by women for their rights. This seemed to be the right time to visit other provinces to learn about the concerns and challenges of the educated Afghan women and their hopes and expectations from women movements.

Muhtarama is mainly about the educated Afghan women and their common concerns that ranges from lack of political and social rights to domestic violence and troubled married lives to street harassment.

Muhtarama is a joint project undertaken by Diana Saqeb and Malek Shafi’i. In this movie, Malek Shafi’i follows Diana Saqeb, who is also one of the organizers of the protests against the Shia Law, and highlights the concerns and worries of like-minded women.

MOHTARAMA’s Trailer

21st YAGAMATA international documentary film festival was held on 10 to 17 October 2031 in Tokyo JAPAN. 

Call for 9th International 100 Film Festival

You as a filmmaker could be ethic composer, you could emerge patient, hope, enthusiasm, safety, nobility, and everything that a sophisticated society require for adolescents.

* International section 

- Documentary

- Fiction

- Animation

International section of the festival is exclusively for abroad participators. 

* International Award

- Festival statue, honorary diploma, and 3000$ to3 films selected by the jury. 

- Regulations

- Fill out the entry form

It is only possible through the web site of the community and festival center at www.100fest.com (Websiteopenssoon)

- Time of the works

The works send to the secretariat must be 100 seconds at maximum time.

* Title sequence considered as the time of the film. 

* sending the work

The works must be sent only in DVD in form of avi to secretariat of the festival.

NOTE: secretariat has no responsibility for damages due to improperness of the works 

EXPLANATION: the applicants should write down the reference number given after filling out the entry form on the DVD and send it to secretariat of the festival.

It is necessary for the filmmakers who desire to participate the festival with more than one work to provide separate DVD for each work.

* It is necessary to confirm the online summon of the festival at the time of registering which means the approval of all parts of the regulations.

*In case of no code of the work, the film will not be participated in festival.

* There is no possibility to exclude the film out of the festival program after it has been admitted. 

- participate limitation

The officials of the festival, the jury member, the selection team, and also the films participated in the previous festival have no right to attend the competition section of the festival.

* Each film will attend the festival under the ownership of one person as a director of the work.

* Participation of all filmmakers, units, national organizations and producers of private section by nominating one person as a director will face no objection.

* There is no limitation in the number of the works sending from the legal and juridical persons.

- Requirements

Copy of Identification Card + a 3*4 photograph of director

The requirements for the propaganda and the catalogue of the festival: photography of the backstage + photography of stage + the synopsis of the film, at least 60 words

Secretariat right

All of the films sent to the festival will have the capability of online release and the admitted films could be in use of any media and propaganda issues of secretariat after the premier reviewing.

* It is permissible to use the works with the caption or the logo of the festival only.

* There is no return for film sent to the festival 

* The secretariat carries the responsibility to take the final decision in case of unpredicted issues which are not mentioned in regulation. 

- The works to competition section

The admitted films will have the certificate of participation and will be released in cinemas.

* Introduction to ethics cinema

100 film festival is one of new cinematic communication that plays an essential role in promotion and development of works and also surveying fresh talent.

There is an effort to glorify the artists having an important role in promoting Iran cinema with ethic and human topics In section of this festival called “ethics cinema” regarding the constant slogan of the festival to be continued every year.

Festival Calendar

1-call for entry july 2013

2-submission deadline January 26th 2014

3-festival February 26th-28th 2014 -tehran-iran

Closing ceremony February 28th 2014

1st floor, HozehHonari central secretariat of festival (art center ), Hafez conjunction, Somaye Ave, Tehran, Iran

0098 21 88918301-2,Telephone Number:

Fax:0098 21 84172203

Behnam bahadori (Director of the International Committee)

Cell 0098 912 335 6317

behnambahadori@yahoo.com

Second Afghanistan Human Rights Film Festival ends with awards and prizes ceremony

10 October 2013 – The second International Afghanistan Human Rights Film Festival ended in the capital, Kabul, today, with an awards ceremony recognizing the best films screened over the past six days

In the national category, a short film entitled ‘The Last President,’ directed by a young Afghan filmmaker, Jamil Jalah, won the best film award. This production centred on a man’s dilemma over whom to vote for in a presidential election. The best male actor award went to Sayed Murtaza Alavi for his performance as the lead in ‘The Last President.’ 

The festival started on 5 October in Kabul and the central Afghan province of Bamyan, simultaneously. Over six days, a total of 65 documentary, fictional and animation productions centred on the issues of human rights, in short- and long-formats, were showcased. The films were selected out of 380 submissions from all over the world, including countries in the region such as Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and India. Of the productions submitted for screening at the festival, 24 films were produced in Afghanistan. 

A five-member jury, made up of international film experts, reviewed the films and selected the top eight on the basis of their artistic merit and human rights themes and messaging. In addition to awards, the winning filmmakers received cash prizes. 

In the international category, an Armenian feature film by Natalya Belyauskene, ‘If Only Everyone,’ won the best film award. The film told the story of a young Russian woman who, after deciding to plant a tree on the grave of her deceased father, ends up on an unusual road trip that raises questions about the past, guilt and mistakes, while also portraying a range of Armenian rituals and traditions. 

Another short film, ‘Namzad’ (transl. Der Kandidat) won the second prize in the international category. Directed by Yosef Baraki, a young Afghan-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto, the film was about a single mother who tries to save her polio-stricken son from the horrors of Nazi eugenics. 

A documentary film, ‘Finding Hillywood,’ by Leah Warshawski, won the third prize in the same category. Set amongst the hills of Rwanda, this documentary chronicled one man’s road to forgiveness, his efforts to heal his country and deal with his past. 

Two other short documentary films, ‘The Broken Destiny of Poetry’ by Rahmatullah Haidari and ‘Black Democracy’ by Sayed Qasim Huseini, were given special awards. 

In the student film category, the short film ‘Sadat goes to Mazaar’ by Wais Sanjar and Khadem Hussain took out the top prize. ‘Snore’ by Arif Mohebbi and ‘A Letter from My Son’ by Azizullah Payanda won second and third prizes in this category, respectively. 

There was a three-way tie in the best actress category, with Lina Alam, Sabira Rezai and Freshta Kazimi sharing the top spot for their performances. Sadat Behnam won the best child actor award for his performance in ‘Sadat Goes to Mazaar.’ 

The festival was an initiative of the Afghanistan Cinematic Club (BASA), and is supported by several national and international organizations, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The theme of this year’s festival was ‘We dream of a red apple that is shared with every citizen of the world.’ 

UNAMA’s role involved its Human Rights and its Strategic Communications and Spokespersons’ Units, which provided technical support and production advice to the festival’s organizers and some of the filmmakers, in addition to holding workshops – which took place during the festival – focused on various human rights issues and the role that film can play in relation to human rights, especially on women’s right. 

The first Afghanistan Human Rights Film Festival was held in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif in 2011. That event was also the first film festival held in a Central Asian country. The week-long event screened 32 Afghan and 18 foreign films, out of a total of 200 productions which were submitted. 

News source UNAMA